» In 1995, a 12 year old Okinawan
school girl, much like your daughter or neighbor was abducted and gang
raped.

See left:
Protesters shout slogans during a rally
titled "We don't need dangerous neighbors" Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008 in Chatan,
an Okinawan town where a U.S. Marine was allegedly raped a 14-year-old
Japanese girl last week.

19 February 2008
»
UK mothers
»Canadian Church
» Students "die"

»
UK mothers ask Lords to order Iraq inquiry Tony Blair's
government exposed soldiers to the risk of death by failing to
take sufficient steps to ensure that its proposed invasion of
Iraq was lawful, Britain's highest court was told yesterday.

»
Canadian Church:
People of faith in Canada call on the Canadian government to
allow conscientious objectors, and their immediate family members, who have refused or
left military service to be able to apply for permanent residency from within Canada.

»The
Winograd Commission Member:
Next time I will pointedly ask,"
Why did we go to this war?"YESH
GVUL!
»Rebecca
Vilkomerson; participated in the Gaza convoy against the
siege:
At the end of the rally they announced that the negotiating team had
succeeded in persuading the border cops to let the supplies through, i think
they said they will go on monday. a neighboring kibbutz offered their
storage space until then, which again shows that not everyone living with
the qassams is vengeful.

»Ben
Kogan,
a pacifist conscientious objector, was sentenced to 21 days for refusing to
serve in the Israeli army, now in solitary in military prison for refusing
to wear uniform & refusing to refer to the prison commanders by their ranks.

» The New York Timesfound
121 cases in which veterans of Iraq and
Afghanistan committed a killing in this country, or
were charged with one, after their return from war. In
many of those cases, combat trauma and the stress of
deployment — along with alcohol abuse, family discord
and other attendant problems — appear to have set the
stage for a tragedy that was part destruction, part
self-destruction. See also the
Independent.

Ben Kogan

14 December 2007
» Refusal of military base » Victory
for refuseniks refugees

Protest against military base - Vicenza

»ITALY - Autonomous refusal of expansion of a
military baseInternational protest in the streets of the town
with representatives from the US, Holland, Germany, Czech Republic,
Belgium... Message of
support from
Global Women's Strike and Payday, who also picketed the Italian embassy in
London in solidarity. More info in Italian at
www.nodalmolin.it and in English atwww.peaceandjustice.it/» CANADA - Victory for US
refuseniks refugeesThe Standing
Committee on Citizenship and Immigration passed a motion saying that
non-Canadians in Canada who refuse to participate in wars not sanctioned by
the UN, and who do not have a criminal record, should be allowed to remain
legally in Canada
»US - The
Aguayo family needs your help. Take the time to
write to them.

Article 318 of the Turkish Penal Code:(1) Persons who give incentives or make suggestions or spread propaganda
which will have the effect of discouraging people from performing military
service shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of six months to two
years.
(2) If the act is committed through the medium of the press and media, the
penalty shall be increased by half.

26 November 2007 »
When AWOL Is the Only Escape » Israeli women soldiers speak out

Israeli women soldiers

James Circello

»Resolution on Conscientious Objection: Adopted by the Council of
Members,
9-10 November 2007, Brussels (Belgium)
»James says he's ready to start the rest of his life, much of which is likely to
be shaped by his time in Iraq and his experiences as an AWOL soldier
opposing the war. » Six
Israeli women soldiers, after years of trying to bury the past have
spoken out in a film, "To See If I'm Smiling", that explores the darker side
of Israel's 40-year-old occupation of the Palestinian territories.

»No to
Article 318 - refuseniks in Turkey organise against legislation that
threatens to imprison those who refuse to kill.

» US Army
Recordlow
level of recruits - The Army began its
recruiting year Oct. 1 with fewer signed up for basic training than in any
year since it became an all-volunteer service in 1973.
» Black
Soldiers Cleared in WWII Lynching- for more than a half-century, the
convictions of 28 African-American soldiers for a riot that ended in the
lynching of an Italian prisoner of war during World War II has held an
uneasy place in history.

Samuel Snow

17 October 2007
» Ossi's case in Europe » His
Petition sent to Ministers

»Osman Murat Ulke's case before Council of
Europe against
Turkey for its persistent persecution of conscientious objectors
-- see
PRESS RELEASE» See news report in Today's Zaman
»See
decision of the
Council of Ministers urging
"the Turkish authorities to take all necessary measures to put an end to the
violation of the applicant's rights."
Italiano»See over 1300 signatures
on the petition for Ossi,
including refuseniks,
anti-war activists, trade unionists, lawyers, academics and an MEP.

»Ossi: German MP Sevim Dağdelen and Dutch MEP
TobiasPflüger
wrote to the Turkish Ministry of Defence and the Council of Ministers of
the Council of Europe. "...Osman Murat Ülke, who has been living a more or
less clandestine life since March 1999, now is at high risk of being
arrested again."

»On the DREAM Act: An
Open Letter to Latino and Latina students "...military
option of the DREAM Act be replaced by a community service option." Fernando
Suarez del Solar.

» US Women war vets may need more aid- "We are the first country that I
know of that sends
women who are mothers overseas."

» Vets for Peace St-Louis Convention -
400 members of Veterans for Peace (VFP) and Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)
in St. Louis, Missouri met August 15-19 for the 22nd annual national VFP
convention. Read report on
the Courage to Resist website. (Photo on the right)

»
The other war: Iraq veterans
bear witness: fifty US combat
veterans of the Iraq War speak out.
» Turkmenistan COs
need support Two Jehovah's Witness
conscientious objectors, Bayram Ashirgeldiev and Nuryagdy Gairov were
detained in Turkmenistan, and been charged with "evasion of call-up to
military service"»
Watada second court-martial is
now set for 9 Oct. Watada became a lightning rod for the peace
movement in June 2006 when he refused to deploy for a year to Iraq.»Update on
Colombian COs Hincapie and Marin

»
Osman Murat Ülkeat danger
of re-imprisonment
»Army can try
Watada
again for refusing to go to Iraq
Trying Lt. Ehren
Watada again won't violate his
constitutional right not to be prosecuted twice for the same crime, an
Army judge ruled Friday. »"Fighting
terrorismwith professionals
under spotlight"
Summary
concerning compulsory military service in Turkey.»An
open letter to America"Now is the time for us to stand up and stand together"Rev.
Lennox Yearwood Jr
» German COAlexander Hense in
military arrest

28 June 2007
» Peter Gichura appeals
»Support Colombian CO

» Peter Gichura, disabled
asylum-seekerappeals in
discrimination case The DED is
meant to ensure that all public authorities pay “due regard” to the
promotion of equality for disabled people in every area of their work»Number of Black
peoplejoining military down"There's
other ways you can pay for college. There's other ways you can get your life
together. Joining the Army, the military, comes at a very high price."» Colombian
COFrank Yair Estrada Marin
needs support

On Monday,
28 May 2007, CO Hadas Amit has finally received an official
exemption from military service on grounds of "unsuitability". After
five prison terms, she is now no longer in danger of imprisonment. Many
thanks for all your support!
New Profile

» Decision of the
Council of Europein the case of conscientious objector
Osaman Murat Ulke.» Photos
of 5 June International Day of Action» Honourable
discharge for motherAmid a custody
battle for her daughter, a soldier had been declared AWOL.» With
illness in common, former
foes join forces The
veterans claim of the lingering after-effects of the deadly defoliant
sprayed by the U.S. during the war.» Sheehan to
sell protest siteCindy Sheehan
will sell her war protest site near President Bush's ranch to radio talk
show host Bree Walker, who will preserve it as a peace memorial and keep it
open to protesters.

»Cindy Sheehan will
return after stepping back as antiwar leader "I
think it’s time to re-evaluate, pull back, you know, see what other
direction we can come at this from."
»Former marine
Adam Kokesh
rejects plea bargain -
fights to protect free speech rights of Vets
»Watada's court-martial halted by
double-jeopardy
argument The
retrial of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, the first Army officer to face a
court-martial for refusing to deploy to Iraq, was put on hold Friday by an
Army appeals court.
»INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTIONin support of Osman Murat Ülke and other refuseniks
who are repeatedly punished for the "crime" of refusing to kill.

» Peter Gichura
wins in court:
"A victory in his case would help establish rights and protections for
all disabled people." Claire Glasman
» Moms
wear combat boots too"For all mothers who feel helpless
because they think they can't do anything to stop the war - if you knew the
truth you would try." Eli PaintedCrow

» Israeli COs raise a voice against violence: The Torah shows us how, in a sea of evil, an individual can stand up
against evil, oppose an order, disobey it, and not shrug off the
responsibility by saying, ’I’m only following orders from my
government,’

»Another
soldier AWOL rather than deploying to Iraq
"Just because we volunteered, doesn't mean we volunteered to throw our lives
away for nothing." Marc Train
»
Heroine attacks Pentagon
over lies about her capture
Jessica Lynch, the US army private who became the heroic American face of
the Iraq war, lambasted the Bush Administration yesterday for lying about
the incident.

»
Army is cracking
down on deserters Army prosecutions of
desertion and other unauthorized absences have risen sharply in the last
four years

»
Halil Savda on trial again 12 April
SIGN PETITION
ON LINE NOW!SEE first signatories
here
» Six conscientious
objectors in hiding
in ChileThose who have a conscientious objection to
serving in the military have no legal way to do so. Therefore, all six
decided to go into hiding, to avoid their forced recruitment into the Armed
Forces.

»Judge
orders discharge
of an anti-war Marine A federal judge has
ordered the Marines to discharge a San Jose lance corporal as a
"conscientious objector" who had an aversion to killing and participating in
war.

» HALIL SAVDA
court hearing on 29 March was adjourned on 12 April. Please send letter to
the Turkish authorities SeeLetter
of protest.»
Statement
in support of
Halil Savda
"We
will attend to the
trial on 29th march at Corlu Military Court to show that the Halil Savda is
not alone" CO Platform (Turkey).
»Watada defends
refusal before anti-war
crowd"They may imprison or torture or take
away our lives, but they can never take away our freedom to choose what is
right and just," Watada» 30 March COMING
HOME
Payday Video Cafein
London.

» Letter to the MEPsfor Halil Savda
»
Eyewitness
accountwith Agustin Aguayo's
trial. I
couldn't avoid crying and neither could he. We embraced, and I thought "Why
could my son not be here to witness this victory?"
- Fernando Suarez del Solar

»Experts say
25% of US veterans mentally ill
US. High rates of mental health
disorders are being diagnosed among US military personnel soon after being
released from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to investigators in
San Francisco.

14 March 2007
» Halil on trial again »
Sir No Sir! on 23 March

» Conscientious
objector Halil Savda faces another trial for the same charges. Protest
actions in Greece
and Turkey. Payday in the UK is pressing MEPs to intervene.

»US medic
Agustin Aguayo guilty of desertion A US Army medic who refused to return to Iraq
because of his opposition to the war has been found guilty of desertion by a
court martial in Germany. Aguayo
sentenced to 8 months imprisonment, he should be released in April. As he
was facing seven years in jail, this is a clear victory for Agustin, his
family and the anti-war movement.

»Victory in Lt. Ehren
Watada court-martial
Update:
The Army, after their defeat at the first court martial, has now
announced they are re-filing charges against Lt. Watada .
He is again facing up to 6 years in prison. The second trial is
scheduled for July 16, with pre-trial motions May 20-21.

»
Russian army sold
recruits for
sex, rights group claims Russia's scandal-prone military was gripped by
allegations yesterday that cash-strapped senior
officers had forced young conscripts to work as male
prostitutes.

1st Lt. Ehren Watada drops
off his mother in DuPont, Pierce County, for a news conference.

»Watada Court-Martial ends in mistrial.
The court-martial of First Lt. Ehren Watada has ended in a mistrial, a
military court judge ruled Wednesday.
» Audio
report of Lt. Watada's Court-Martial. Listen to Margaret
Prescot, Women of Color in the Global Women's Strike, and Eric Gjertsen,
Payday men's network. Clickhere
»Making an example of Ehren Watada.
The
man on trial is setting a profound example of conscience - helping to
undermine the war that the Pentagon's top officials are so eager to protect.

1 February 2007
» London days of action
» Demonstrate for Israeli
refusenik Hadas Amit

» Lt Watada -
Days of Action in London: “This
is a war not of self-defense but for profit and
imperialistic domination…
If soldiers stood up and threw their weapons down,
no president could ever initiate a war of choice
again.”
Ehren Watada.

» HALIL
SAVDA: The military authorities were not able to force a
psychological examination on conscientious objector Halil Savda, so Halil
stopped his hunger strike. We learned today that at a court hearing
(postponed from 15 January), Halil was sent back to the barracks. We do not
know whether he will be resent to jail.

New appeal for International Day of
ActionYou can help to
build international support for Lt. Watada by contacting people in your
personal, professional, and religious networks

» Lt Watada interviewed
on Democracy NowIt will not be a fair trial or a show of
justice, in any sense. They will simply say, “Was he ordered to go? Yes. Did
he go? No. Well, he’s guilty.”

»Military members make an
antiwar plea on Capitol Hill "We will not be silent
while thousands die," said Sgt. Liam Madden.
»Judge
refuses to consider
legality of Iraq warOn January 16th, a Fort Lewis military court ruled that Lt. Ehren Watada
cannot present defense arguments relating to the legality of the Iraq War.

»Jonathan Hutto
solidarity statement
with Lt Watada for Dec 2 The
Appeal for Redress stands in solidarity with all those who resist the
current occupation of Iraq, the mass murder of the Iraqi people, the
harm and destruction done to American service members and their
families and the ill use of American tax dollars which is diverted from
much needed social programs on the home-front.

»Halil Savda:
next trialThe
military court decided that the detention shall continue and set the next
trial session as 15 January 2007
»Iraq Vets camp outside
Ft Lewis to support Watada
"I am honored to know his family, they are a wonderful display of family
values...something we don't see a lot of." Iraq Vet Dennis Kyne

» To
settle NYCLU
lawsuit, Defense Department reforms student military recruiting database
"I got involved in this lawsuit
because I just wanted the military to leave me and other students alone,"
Reichbach said.